Not a simple white bean soup

You could make a white bean soup in about 15 minutes with a stock cube, a tin of white beans and some tomato pulp. This recipe takes a lot longer but the time and trouble is worth it as the taste is rich and smooth.
You need to cook the dry white beans. I used a local variety here in the south of France, the coco de Pamiers. First you put them in a casserole with a lot of cold water and heat it up for some 20 minutes until there is a white foam on the surface. You can scoop the foam away or pour the cooking water and beans through a sieve and then rinse with cold water.
You also need to prepare a stock. I used beef shank and root vegetables and let that simmer for four hours.
I returned the beans to a casserole, added water and cooked for another hour.
Then I filtered the stock and put it in a large pan. Then I added the beans, some vegetables and tomato pulp. I cooked it together for 20 minutes and then added some garlic.
Meanwhile I had cut up the meat of the beef shank and cut up some smoked lard and added these to the pan. A sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste and the soup is ready.

IngredientsFor the stock

A beef shank
Two carrots
Two leeks
Two onions
A turnip
A piece of rutabaga
A chunk of root celery
A piece of celery
Bay leave
“Bouquet garnie” of herbs
3 cloves
5 litres of water

For the beans
300 grams of dried white beans
Lots of water

For the finishing
One carrot in cubes
One leek in rings
The meat of the shank
A tin of tomato pulp
200 grams of smoked lard
Two cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper

What’s cooking?

Food is more than fuel for the body. Food is a source of pleasure.

Fresh ingredients and a bit of skill is all you need to cook with the seasons and serve up friendship and love.

Food is culture, food is important. Food can cause or cure ailments. Enjoy what you eat and drink and think about it, where it came from and what it dies to you. Here you will find some ideas and tips about tasty and healthy cooking with locally sourced ingredients in south-west France.